ERBIL, Iraq (April 28, 2005) -
Iraqi villagers outside Erbil, in the Kurdish northern part of the country,
have more to look forward to than just a new home as Spring approaches.
In a country with a 70 percent unemployment
rate, the 800 families who helped build their own homes in a recent housing
reconstruction effort may be able to turn these valuable skills into much
needed value, such as jobs. A year ago, Counterpart International
met with local leaders, elders, and community representatives to
identify needs in the war-torn Qushtapa sub-district. Finding themselves
without adequate houses, water and sanitation systems, wells, or schools,
the communities had a lot to talk about.
Counterpart worked closely with these leaders and other community members, guiding them through a participatory appraisal process. The organization was able to complement the communities' decision to construct houses and their corresponding infrastructure of water and sanitation systems and primary schools, by providing technical expertise and training in self-built home construction and community infrastructure development.
Through its country office, Counterpart also regularly monitored and evaluated progress to ensure the quality and sustainability of the program. Today, these 800 families from 39 villages are completing their new homes thanks to technical support that was provided by Counterpart through some $5.4 million from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Families also added local roofing materials to complement UNHCR's building guidelines, making their houses more energy efficient in this colder northern region of the country.
"It's impossible to contribute to society when basic needs aren't met. By weaving humanitarian assistance into a strong fabric of civil society, Iraqi communities can become more self-reliant," said Harry Dorcus, Chief Operating Officer of Counterpart International, who spent two weeks surveying the program's success.
"Investing in the reconstruction of their own homes allows people to feel a sense of ownership in their work, a sense of community," added Sam Jones, Senior Program Officer and Iraq specialist for Counterpart's Civil Society division. "Though the houses are an immediate and visible result, these other benefits will last much longer."
The program epitomizes Counterpart's mission, which promotes local solutions to locally-identified problems at the individual, community and institutional levels. Counterpart established a presence in Iraq in 2003. With critical support from the US Department of State, UNHCR and USAID, the organization has successfully piloted, replicated, and refined its civil society programs across the Middle East, the former Soviet Union, Central and Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia and Africa.